The Tile Bag

Edited by James Leong

Hello all! I hope summery weather is treating everyone well, and that the barbecues are going strong amidst fun and revelry, wherever you are.

For this edition of “The Tile Bag” let’s have a variety of topics, rather than one single focus! And without further ado, here’s our first question.

Is there any general consensus regarding what kind of balance one should strike between studying words and playing more SCRABBLE in order to improve? I tend to study words much more than play games, and I know many people are just the opposite. I know there's no right answer to this one, but I'd like to know what works for other players. – AW

AW, your question first suggests that this balance exists for everyone, and I’m not sure that I concur. I think that a person’s goals should dictate their actions towards attainment of their target achievement. Thus, for those who don’t aspire to be the best Scrabbler ever, or who don’t care to know all the words, is their approach not as valid as yours or mine?

That being said, I’ll try to answer this question in a “how can I continually raise my rating?” kind of way. The poet Alexander Pope once wrote, “a little learning is a dangerous thing,” and with respect to SCRABBLE it can often prove true. There are countless people who think that knowing a few words will instantly improve their rating. However, this usually does not happen until those players develop the necessary skills to work this new knowledge into their game. Sometimes what even happens is that this bit of knowledge creates a new dependency by the player on these few words, which might actually weaken their game. Thus, learning words always helps, but knowing how to actually use them is just as important.

To contrast strategic and vocabulary development, let’s look at two of the more notable young phenoms in the game: Carl Johnson and Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, both winners of Division 2 at a National Scrabble Championship. To prepare for his Nationals, Carl went about learning as many words as he could, and pretty much effectively learned all words at or under eight letters of length. Conrad, on the other hand, went about playing many games and honing his strategies. Both improved in a field and ensured their skills remained pertinent, outstripping their peers. Both won and to this day continue to improve their games.

In the end, I think this shows that how one looks to improve is not as important as making sure that your improvements actually translate into something you can use.

What are some good pre-game songs? – LJ

Actually, this is a really interesting area to consider. What do you do to make sure you calm down between games? How can you not stress yourself out if are leading — or at the bottom of a field — mid-tournament? Basically, what techniques can get you to relax and focus and play your best games in competition?

Going into a competition, being positive but realistic is highly important, especially if you find your mood swings a lot during the tournament. Everyone wants to do well, yet for every winner there will exist a loser (unless there is a tie or something very strange happens). Considering this makes most players better sports and more empathic — good things to be in a close, competitive environment like SCRABBLE.

In a long tournament, having those days midway through the tournament where you’re leading can be nerve-wracking. This has as much to do with the results so far (since you can’t conclusively forecast your finish) as it does with how your expectations might have changed in respect. The expectations of those around you might also have changed, too, affecting their interaction with you or how you might see yourself. While it is natural that conversation might start to center around you, it is best to try and take some of the spotlight off yourself and focus on others. This helps to deflect some attention and reduce stress.

Now, to pump yourself up in a tournament…. Joe Edley likes to do tai chi. Musically, maybe relax and focus with Debussy’s Images suite? Energize yourself with happy hardcore like Caramelldansen? Go in like a boxer with The Final Countdown? Whatever suits you!

Note: The author may, or may not, have any taste whatsoever.

I'm going to England for a few weeks and was wondering how to locate a SCRABBLE club I might visit, or a tournament I could enter. Also, if I want to play in a foreign tournament, can I play as a NASPA member or do I need to join a national or international organization? And what are the main rule differences — other than the different dictionary? --AEM

Most countries have their own separate playing organizations under which registered SCRABBLE players meet, play in tournaments, and convene to be sent as a national delegation to an event. These playing organizations usually have rules of their own, but most are inapplicable to a foreign national (an example being representation at a World Championships). In practice, you should try to find prospective contacts who play SCRABBLE in your destination country, contact these people, and learn more about the arrangements (as these vary with each country). Hopefully you will be able to play.

With respect to the United Kingdom, Phil Robertshaw of the ABSP (Association of British Scrabble Players) provides the following answer:

"If you visit www.absp.org.uk, the official website of the Association of British Scrabble Players (ABSP), you will find links to clubs with contact details for them, along with a calendar of forthcoming tournaments. You do not need to be an ABSP member to play in UK tournaments, but entry fees are slightly higher for non-members, so if you're planning to play a lot of events it might be worth taking out a year's subscription for the price of £15.

"Apart from the dictionary, the main rule difference is the challenge rule. Almost all UK tournaments play to free challenge, meaning that there is no penalty for challenging a correct word, although you still lose a turn if your illegal move is challenged. Other rule differences are fairly minor, such as small differences in procedure on overdraws. Contact the individual tournament organiser with any specific queries.”

In addition, the ABSP can be found at www.absp.org.uk. British Scrabblers also have their own Yahoo! messaging group, uk-scrabble, which can be found at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/uk-scrabble.

Other countries may have very different rules. Before planning to play in a foreign tournament, be sure to get in contact with one of the organizers or someone with reasonable familiarity or experience in how the organizers carry out events — and don’t be afraid to ask questions. That being said, go out, travel, have fun, and tell us all about how your trip went when you get back!

The dictionary used in most foreign tournaments is the Collins Scrabble Tournament & Club Word List, often referred to as CWL. You can order a copy from amazon.com.uk or from Sam Kantimathi at SamTimer.com.

Got a question? Don’t hesitate to write, no matter how strange or silly it may sound! Just fire away to tilebag@gmail.com.

James Leong is a top player from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was the winner of the 2007 Players’ Championship in Dayton, OH.